Gutter reinforcer attachment

ABSTRACT

A gutter reinforcer adapted to be used in connection with conventional tube and spike type attachment means, said reinforcer comprising a V shaped attachment having a down turned head portion at the apex of the V provided with an aperture to permit passage of a nail or spike and having flat outwardly disposed feet portions at the extremities of the legs of the V for attachment to the inner wall of the gutter. The improved gutter reinforcing attachment is preferably in strip form and may be stamped from sheet metal, after which the head portion is bent at substantially 90* to the plane of the strip. The legs are twisted through an angle of about 90* and the feet are bent outwardly so that they fit flat or substantially so upon the inside of the gutter where the same is applied to the faciaboard. An aperture is formed in the down turned head portion to permit a nail or spike to be passed therethrough and then through a tube which extends between the outer and inner walls of the gutter and thence into the wall of the building to which the gutter is applied. Suitable fasteners such as nails or screws extend through the apertures in the outturned feet and also serve to secure the attachment to the inner wall of the gutter and to the faciaboard.

United States Patent [191 DAmato [4 1 Oct. 28, 1975 GUTTER REINFORCERATTACHMENT Nicholas J. DAmato, 2840 Braidwood Road, Richmond, Va. 23225[22] Filed: Aug. 20, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 498,936

[76] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl. 248/48.2; 52/11; 248/216 [51] Int. Cl. E04D 13/00; E04D13/06 [58] Field of Search 52/11, 12, 14, 753 C, 285,

Primary Examiner-Roy D. Frazier Assistant Examiner-Terrell P. Lewis [5 7ABSTRACT A gutter reinforcer adapted to be used in connection withconventional tube and spike type attachment means, said reinforcercomprising a V shaped attachment having a down turned head portion atthe apex of the V provided with an aperture to permit passage of a nailor spike and having flat outwardly disposed feet portions at theextremities of the legs of the V for attachment to the inner wall of thegutter. The improved gutter reinforcing attachment is preferably instrip form and may be stamped from sheet metal, after which the headportion is bent at substantially 90 to the plane of the strip. The legsare twisted through an angle of about 90 and the feet are bent outwardlyso that they fit flat or substantially so upon the inside of the gutterwhere the same is applied to the faciaboard. An aperture is formed inthe down turned head portion to permit a nail or spike to be passedtherethrough and then through a tube which extends between the outer andinner walls of the gutter and thence into the wall of the building towhich the gutter is applied. Suitable fasteners such as nails or screwsextend through the apertures in the outturned feet and also serve tosecure the attachment to the inner wall of the gutter and to thefaciaboard.

8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures Patent Oct. 2a, 1975 3,915,418

GUTTER REINFORCER ATTACHMENT SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Theinvention relates to an improved reinforcement bracket attachment forgutters. More particularly the invention relates to a gutter reinforceradapted to be used in connection with conventional tube and spike typeattachment means, said reinforcer comprising a V shaped attachmenthaving a down turned head portion at the apex of the V provided with anaperture to permit passage of a nail or spike and having flat outwardlydisposed feet portions at the extremities of the legs of the V forattachment to the inner wall of the gutter. The improved gutterreinforcing attachment is preferably in strip form and may be stampedfrom sheet metal, after which the head portion is bent at substantially90 to the plane of the strip. The legs are twisted through an angle ofabout 90 and the feet are bent outwardly so that they fit flat orsubstantially so upon the inside of the gutter where the same is appliedto the faciaboard. An aperture is formed in the down turned head portionto permit a nail or spike to be passed therethrough and then through atube which extends between the outer and inner walls of the gutter andthence into the wall of the building to which the gutter is applied.Suitable fasteners such as nails or screws extend through the aperturesin the outturned feet and also serve to secure the attachment to theinner wall of the gutter and to the faciaboard.

An object of the invention is to provide a rigid means of support for agutter by preventing the loosening of the gutter through jarring andexcessive weight.

A second object of the invention is to provide a device or attachmentwhich may be used as a gutter reinforcer along with a conventional tubeand spike fastener means of gutter support.

Another object of the invention is to provide twisted appendages of theattachment which give it strength and rigidity.

A further object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive devicestamped from sheet stock.

I am aware of other gutter reinforcers covered by patents of which thefollowing are representative:

263,046 Huth Aug. 22, 1882 1,940,369 Peal Dec. 19, 1933 2,l44,225Neisworth Jan. 17, 1939 2,565,090 Ramser, Jr. Aug. 21, 1951 2,761,642Rachlin Sept. 4, 1956 11.8. Pat. No. 263,046 for example shows aV-shaped bracket used in conjunction with an eaves trough, but itsfunction is primarily as a bearing surface against which the upper edgesof the eaves trough are pulled by means of the strips F.

US. Pat. No. 1,940,369 shows an integral spacer bar for covering asupporting spike 8 and a supporting strip 1 for nailing to the roof tosupplement the support of the gutter by spike 8.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,144,225 discloses a support strip having one endattached to the roof and its other end secured to the spike and crossbar 2.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,565,090 shows an integral spacer encompassing a spikefor supporting the gutter and reinforcing webs 2 and 3 which have tabs 4and 5 which are nailed to the facia board 19.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, my improvedgutter reinforcer attachment is constructed from a V shaped piece ofstamped metal sheet stock. Each leg or appendage of the V is twistedintermediate its ends and then bent outwardly at the extreme end. Anextension at the apex of the V is bent transversely to the plane of theappendages or legs. A hole is placed in the apex to facilitate entry ofthe spike of the conventional tubular support. The gutter reinforcer isplaced at the top of the gutter and perpendicular to the gutter flow,and is so placed that the spike and the V lie in the same plane and thatthe spike substantially bisects the angle made by the V. The down turnedportion of the apex of the V fits over the outer rim of the gutter andis secured thereto by the nail or spike. The appendages or legs areprovided with outwardly turned feet which are fastened to the gutterfaciaboard on the inner rim of the gutter, and to the eaves of thebuilding to which the gutter is applied.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawing and the following detailed description which areintended as illustrative embodiments but not as limiting the inventionto the exact details set forth.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the gutter reinforcer applied tothe faciaboard and gutter of a building in combination with the usualnail and tube fastening means;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the V shaped attachment separate from theother elements of the assembly.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Referring to the drawings,reference numeral 10 denotes generally a conventional form of guttershown as secured to the conventional faciaboard 11 of a building, bymeans of conventional spike and tube fastening means generallydesignated by the reference numeral 12 and comprising a nail, spike orother fastener 13 which passes through a tubular member 14 insertedbetween the inner and outer walls 15 and 16 of the gutter near the topportion of the same. Such tube and spike fastening means is conventionalbut has the disadvantage that, as I have found, it requiresreinforcement to prevent removal of the fasteners when the gutterbecomes loaded with ice or snow and debris particularly during thewinter season or when pressure is applied to the outer wall of thegutter in cleaning the same. The primary purpose of my improved gutterreinforcing at tachment 20 is to remedy this defect.

The improved supplemental gutter reinforcing attachment 20 (FIG. 3) ispreferably a V shaped unitary strap-like device initially separate fromthe tube and spike fastening means 12 but adapted for use in connectiontherewith without modification of the existing spike and tube fastener12. As shown the gutter reinforcing attachment 20 is a substantially Vshaped article preferably of strap-like material, which may be initiallystamped from a sheet of metal or other suitable material.

The supplemental attachment 20 comprises a pair of legs 21 and 22diverging from the apex or head portion 23 preferably at an acute angleranging from about 30 to An attaching flange 24 is turned downwardly atthe head portion 23 preferably at about angle to the plane of theadjacent head portion and an aperture 27 may be formed therein forreceiving the spike 13 of the tube and spike fastener combination 12.The head 13a of the spike holds the down turned flange 24 in place.

As shown outturned foot portions 28 and 29 are formed at opposite endsof the legs 21 and 22 from the apex 23 for engagement with andattachment to the inner wall of the gutter, which gutter engages thefaciaboard 11 of the building.

In order that the foot portions 28 and 29 may lie substantially flushwith the inner wall 15 of the gutter the legs 21 and 22 are twisted asindicated at 30 and 31 through an approximate 90 angle between the apex23 and the foot portions 28 and 29. Suitable apertures 32 and 33 may beformed in the foot portions 28 and 29 to receive the fasteners 34 and 35which may be screws, nails or the like and which extend through innerwall 15 of the faciaboard 11.

As will be apparent from the foregoing description the improved gutterreinforcer attachment is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and maybe readily installed in connection with tube and spike fastening means12.

To install the fastening means the tube 14 is first inserted between theinner and outer walls 15 and 16 of the gutter l0. Thereafter theattachment is positioned as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the flange 24extending downwardly over the outer wall 16 of the gutter 10. Theaperture 27 is placed in substantial alignment with the central passageof the tube 14 and the outwardly extending foot portions 28 and 29 restagainst the inner wall 15 of the gutter l0 and preferably liesubstantially flush with the wall 15. The head 13a of the nail or spikel3 overlie the flange 24 and opening 27.

As will be apparent the attachment 20 prevents any tendency to withdrawthe sharpened end of the spike from the wall of the building when thegutter is weighted down by snow or ice or other accumulation, or by theapplication of outward pressure to the outer wall of the gutter as incleaning. Also the legs 21 and 22 of the attachment 20 coact with tube14 in preventing inner movement of the outer wall of the gutter wheninward pressure is applied to the outer wall of the gutter. The gutterreinforcing attachment may be applied at any suitable intervals to thegutter and faciaboard as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The invention has been described in detail for the purpose ofillustration but it will be obvious the numerous modifications andvariations which may be resorted to without departing from the spirit ofthe invention in its broadest aspects.

What is claimed is:

1. A supplemental gutter reinforcing attachment for use in supporting agutter from a faciaboard or the like at the caves of a building, to beused in combination with conventional tube and spike gutter fasteningmeans, said supplemental attachment comprising a unitary V shaped stripmember including a down turned head portion at the apex of the V adaptedto overlie the outer wall of the gutter and being adapted to receive thespike of the conventional tube and spike fastening means, said V shapedstrip member having diverging legs provided with integral outwardlyprojecting foot portions for attachment to the inner wall of the gutterand to the faciaboard, said reinforcing attachment, when assembled,lying in substantially the same plane as the spike and tube fasteningmeans, and serving to reinforce the tube and spike fastening means andto prevent removal of the spike and tube fastening means due toaccumulation of snow, ice or the like in the gutter, in combination witha gutter extending horizontally along the eaves of a building, spike andtube fastening means extending transversely through the gutter in ahorizontal direction, the spike of said spike and tube fastening meansextending through the down turned portion of the V shaped attachmentthrough the tube portion of the fastening means and into the side wallof the building to which the gutter is attached.

2. The supplemental gutter reinforcing attachment as defined in claim 1wherein the legs of the V shaped member are twisted at an angle of aboutbetween the apex and the foot portions thereof.

3. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein the down turned headportion is apertured to receive the spike of the tube and spikefastening means.

4. The attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein the outurned footportions are apertured to receive fastening means for securing theattachment to the inner wall of the gutter and to the outside of thebuilding.

5. The attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein the strip from which theattachment is formed is a metal stamping.

6. A combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the V shaped attachmentwhen assembled lies in substantially the same plane as the tube andspike fastening means and the tube and spike fastening means bisects theangle at which the legs diverge from the heat portion.

7. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the spike is providedwith a head which, when the parts are assembled, overlies the aperturedhead portion of the V shaped attachment.

8. The combination comprising a gutter having an inner wall extendingalong a facia board or the like at the caves of a building, an outerwall, a bottom wall connecting said inner and outer walls, said outerwall having an upper edge portion spaced from said inner wall,conventional tube and spike fastening means for securing said gutter tosaid building and a supplemental gutter reinforcement attachmentcomprising a unitary V-shaped strip member including a downturned headportion at the apex of the V overlying the upper edge portion of saidouter wall of the gutter, and diverging legs extending transverselyacross the gutter and provided with outwardly projecting foot portionsabutting said inner wall, fasteners extending through said foot portionsand through said inner wall into said facia board, the spike and tubefastening means extending transversely through the gutter, the tube ofsaid spike and tube fastening means extending between said inner andouter walls, and the spike of said spike and tube fastening meansextending serially through the downturned head portion of saidreinforcement attachment, said outer wall, said tube of said tube andspike fastening means, said inner wall and into the side of the buildingto which the gutter is attached.

1. A supplemental gutter reinforcing attachment for use in supporting agutter from a faciaboard or the like at the eaves of a building, to beused in combination with conventional tube and spike gutter fasteningmeans, said supplemental attachment comprising a unitary V shaped stripmember including a down turned head portion at the apex of the V adaptedto overlie the outer wall of the gutter and being adapted to receive thespike of the conventional tube and spike fastening means, said V shapedstrip member having diverging legs provided with integral outwardlyprojecting foot portions for attachment to the inner wall of the gutterand to the faciaboard, said reinforcing attachment, when assembled,lying in substantially the same plane as the spike and tube fasteningmeans, and serving to Reinforce the tube and spike fastening means andto prevent removal of the spike and tube fastening means due toaccumulation of snow, ice or the like in the gutter, in combination witha gutter extending horizontally along the eaves of a building, spike andtube fastening means extending transversely through the gutter in ahorizontal direction, the spike of said spike and tube fastening meansextending through the down turned portion of the V shaped attachmentthrough the tube portion of the fastening means and into the side wallof the building to which the gutter is attached.
 2. The supplementalgutter reinforcing attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein the legs ofthe V shaped member are twisted at an angle of about 90* between theapex and the foot portions thereof.
 3. An attachment as defined in claim1 wherein the down turned head portion is apertured to receive the spikeof the tube and spike fastening means.
 4. The attachment as defined inclaim 1 wherein the outurned foot portions are apertured to receivefastening means for securing the attachment to the inner wall of thegutter and to the outside of the building.
 5. The attachment as definedin claim 1 wherein the strip from which the attachment is formed is ametal stamping.
 6. A combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the Vshaped attachment when assembled lies in substantially the same plane asthe tube and spike fastening means and the tube and spike fasteningmeans bisects the angle at which the legs diverge from the heat portion.7. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the spike is providedwith a head which, when the parts are assembled, overlies the aperturedhead portion of the V shaped attachment.
 8. The combination comprising agutter having an inner wall extending along a facia board or the like atthe eaves of a building, an outer wall, a bottom wall connecting saidinner and outer walls, said outer wall having an upper edge portionspaced from said inner wall, conventional tube and spike fastening meansfor securing said gutter to said building and a supplemental gutterreinforcement attachment comprising a unitary V-shaped strip memberincluding a downturned head portion at the apex of the V overlying theupper edge portion of said outer wall of the gutter, and diverging legsextending transversely across the gutter and provided with outwardlyprojecting foot portions abutting said inner wall, fasteners extendingthrough said foot portions and through said inner wall into said faciaboard, the spike and tube fastening means extending transversely throughthe gutter, the tube of said spike and tube fastening means extendingbetween said inner and outer walls, and the spike of said spike and tubefastening means extending serially through the downturned head portionof said reinforcement attachment, said outer wall, said tube of saidtube and spike fastening means, said inner wall and into the side of thebuilding to which the gutter is attached.